Waterworld
by Traycer
Summary: Jack is kidnapped while on a mission and is forced to battle the elements as well as his enemies in an attempt to find his way home. Crossover fic
1. Chapter 1

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This story came about when I got to thinking about drowning poor Jack in an effort to whump him. The basis of the story then evolved into a possible crossover as I realized that the aliens looked familiar. I just needed to come up with a way to mix the future with the present. This is what I came up with and I hope it works.

I have been sitting on this story for quite some time now, only because it's nowhere near being done and I've been hesitant about posting another WIP while I'm struggling to work on the other one I've got out there (I am working on Tangled Alliances, I promise!). But I thought I would go ahead and post this one anyway with a big warning that I may not get to this one often, but that it is next in the queue in terms of priority.

Thanks go out to a few wonderful people who answered one of my questions regarding the ancient technology in this fic (Mickey, Lee, and others), and especially to Jolene for her suggestion on how to get around the ancient technology dilemma I encountered. Thank you, thank you! And as always, major thanks go out to Diane for her beta skills. You rock, Diane!

DISCLAIMER: While all characters, planets and races that were introduced to us through the Stargate movie and series belong to the creators and producers of said movie and series, all original characters, plots, and mistakes in this story belong to me.

* * *

**Chapter 1**

He was called The Mariner. He lived in a world that was once filled with cities and farms on land as far as the eye could see. A world where millions of people lived on dry land, built their homes upon dirt that had been cultivated for centuries and had prospered with the crops that grew plentiful in their fields. His ancestors had battled the elements and progress alongside their neighbors, battling a war with nature that had been futile from the start.

That way of life was gone now, a part of history that mankind now believed to be only a myth.

It was only a dream now, a dream that the Mariner had long since given up on. His world had disappeared beneath the waters of melted glaciers, created by the effects of global warming. He was left to travel through this new home, hiding a secret that had been passed down through generations of his people. A secret that had to be hidden even now, his identity kept close to his heart to avoid persecution and death.

There were only a few who knew his secret - a handful of people who either found out about by accident, or who had garnered enough of his trust for him to reveal his true identity. His kind had learned the hard way over the years how to deal with the prejudice and hatred that came along with that revelation, and the Mariner had built up on the old explanations, modifying them for his own purposes. His explanations fit with the world as it was now and he told them that his kind had mutated into the half-human, half-fish people who had the ability to breathe under water just as easily as they could breathe on dry land. It was an explanation filled with lies and with half-truths that still left him an outcast among the others he met. But he relied on the lies to hopefully keep him out of harm's way. Even the rare few that he felt he could trust were told the lies. No one had to know the real truth, his lies made sure of that._

* * *

_

It was just supposed to be a little fishing trip. Nothing fancy, not even dangerous, but even the most innocent activities can cause major headaches, or in Colonel Jack O'Neill's case, death by drowning.

The day started innocently enough, considering the fact that SG-1 was doing a little exploring on a planet that consisted of sand and water as far as the eye could see. The Stargate had deposited them on the edge of a beach, the Gate itself resting solidly on a windswept rocky base that was meant to keep the ancient piece of technology anchored throughout time. Jack came through the Gate with the normal feeling of elation that accompanied him on each trip, but the elation faded quickly as he took in the landscape and the ocean that was the most predominant feature as far as the eye could see. "Haven't we been here before?" he asked his team, as he remembered a mission that ended with three shell-shocked members of his team mourning the loss of the fourth member, who had died in a blaze of fire. That mission had ended happily when they found out that the dead teammate was indeed alive and helping an alien determine the fate of a missing mate. But it was still something Jack did not want to have to go through again.

"No sir," Major Samantha Carter responded warily, apparently remembering the same thing, "Although it does look like the planet where Daniel was kidnapped."

"It looks a 'lot' like that planet," Jack said, unease settling in, as he scanned the horizon. "In fact it looks like this place is deserted, which means nothing to explore, which means we go home. Daniel, go activate the Gate."

"Wait - we just got here," Dr. Daniel Jackson responded, not quite ready to give up. "At least give us a chance to look around."

"There's nothing to look at," Jack insisted, gearing up for an argument. Daniel was a civilian, a fact that got in the way with Jack's authority over his team every once in awhile. But Jack usually got his way when it came to the welfare of his team and Daniel would eventually give in. It was just a matter of time. "All I see is water," he continued, "And Daniel, need I remind you what happened the last time we were on a planet similar to this? You died, remember?"

"But I didn't die, Jack," Daniel replied patiently. "You just thought I did. And we're still working on a treaty with Nem," he added, probably hoping this information would be the deciding factor, "It's just a matter of time."

"A waste of time if you ask me," Jack muttered grumpily. They had almost lost Daniel forever because of that alien, and Jack wasn't one to forgive so easily.

"O'Neill!" Teal'c, the fourth member of SG-1, called out. Jack looked over at him to find him pointing off to an object that was bobbing in the water a short distance away.

"That's a boat!" Daniel exclaimed, as he took off to get a better look.

"Daniel!" Jack called after his friend, worried that he could be walking into a trap. One of these days, Daniel was going to learn to think like a soldier, if it was the last thing Jack did. Probably will be, he thought, as he hurried to catch up.

"There has to be some people around here," Daniel called back, not even breaking his stride as he hurried toward the boat. "Why else would there be a boat in the middle of nowhere?"

"The question is whether we really want to meet these people," Jack said, as he caught up to his friend and grabbed his arm to hold him back. "Let's take this slowly, shall we?"

Daniel nodded, albeit a little reluctantly. He and Jack slowly walked over to the object, which did turn out to be a boat. It was a good size boat, big enough to hold several people. There were several paddles inside the boat, which was a good thing, seeing that the boat didn't possess a motor. There were also several sticks with pointed ends and some twine in the boat, causing Jack to smile as he thought about the homemade fishing poles he used to make.

"Why do you think it's out here?" Jack asked, as he scanned the area surrounding the boat. There were no trees, just sand and water, which caused him to really become concerned.

"Maybe it was left here several days ago," Carter chimed in, having followed Jack and Daniel to check out the new find. "Or weeks, or even months ago. They left it here while they traveled over land to get to their final destination."

Jack made a show of looking off into the distance, before turning back to give Carter a questioning glance. "There is nothing out there but sand and water," he told her. "Where did they go?" A thought came to him then, and he shook his head as he told her, "Okay. We are definitely leaving here now," he insisted, reaching over to grab Daniel's arm to pull him away from the craft. "It has to be one of those fish people that kidnapped Daniel. We are out of here now!"

"There are no tracks," Teal'c spoke up, having made his inspection of the area. "We cannot know for sure who, or what, left the boat here."

"It may be humans," Daniel persisted, curiosity moving in. "They may not be far from here. I think we should at least take a look around."

"I would like to get some soil samples, sir," Carter pleaded. "It shouldn't take me too long."

"Come on, Jack," Daniel wheedled, "We aren't in any immediate danger. I mean look around you, there isn't anything out there for miles."

Jack had to agree with Daniel, and he nodded his head, although his training made him suspicious of anything out of the ordinary, like finding an abandoned boat out in the middle of nowhere. His suspicions got a little waylaid as he thought about what he liked best about boats. They kept him dry when he was fishing out in the middle of a lake.

He tried to remember his mission, even as he thought about taking the boat out for a little test, just to see if it was seaworthy. Carter could get her samples while Daniel and Teal'c scoured the beach looking for signs of humanity, leaving Jack to get in a little rest and relaxation by fishing for an elusive prey. Yeah, that sounds like a great plan, he thought happily.

His happiness turned sour, as reality set in. What was he thinking? He was on an alien planet facing possible danger, and he wanted to drop everything to go fishing? But there was no danger in just going out in a boat, he thought, as he watched Daniel and Teal'c walking away from him. He didn't plan to go far and he was an excellent swimmer, he had nothing to worry about. "Carter," he said, stopping her from pulling out the rest of the test tubes she had in her bag.

"Sir?" she asked, as she looked up at him.

"I'm just going to take the boat out for a bit," he said, all the while wondering if he was making a mistake. It was almost as if he had to do this. "I'll just be out there for a few minutes. We leave when I get back, whether you are finished with your stuff or not."

"Yes sir," she said, with a small smile. She knew his love for fishing, and was probably thinking exactly what Jack was thinking. He only wanted to go out in the boat to fish.

Jack ignored the smile, as he put his gun in the boat and pushed the craft away from the shore. He got into it, then picked up a paddle and began to navigate the boat away from the shoreline, intending to stop when he was far enough away to sit and think, but close enough to get back to his team if trouble showed up.

He did stop the boat at a decent distance, not too far away. He sat there in the boat, relishing in the sway of the craft as small waves rolled past him. He glanced over to the shore to see that all three of his teammates were diligently working at the tasks they had elected to take on and he felt a little guilty for being out there in the boat, even as he reached down to grab a stick and the twine.

The peacefulness of sitting in the boat seemed to lull Jack into a sense of security, which he knew was a sham. Something was wrong, he could feel it, but for some reason he was at peace. These conflicting emotions kept him alert to his surroundings and he looked toward the shore to ensure that his friends were okay. They appeared to be fine, at least from his viewpoint. Daniel and Teal'c were standing at the shore looking off toward the Stargate, while Carter was a short distance away from them gathering up samples of the soil. He smiled as she looked up at him – even from this distance he could tell she was smiling back at him.

He went back to his task of fashioning a fishing pole out of a spear, but his attention was distracted by something in the water. He leaned over the side of the boat and saw the face of a woman staring at him from beneath the surface, causing him to pull back as he recoiled in horror. Holy Christ, he thought, as he tried to control the racing of his heart. What the hell?

He looked back over the edge of the boat, hoping that the woman was just a figment of his imagination, but she was still there and this time she was smiling at him from under the rippling waves of the water. His first instinct was to reach down to grab her, but he hesitated, as he remembered that he was on an alien planet that may or may not have hostile aliens lurking about, and he had no desire to find out the hard way if this particular one was hostile.

The woman swam away from him, then disappeared from view as she swam under the boat. Jack was relieved to see that the woman had legs instead of a fin. He could just imagine the look on the General's face when he heard the news that Jack O'Neill had run across a mermaid. He'd never live it down.

Jack swiveled around so that he could look into the water on the other side of the boat. She was there, beckoning to him with her hand as he watched with fascination. There was no way in hell, he thought, just before the boat he was sitting in bucked beneath him, causing him to grab onto the sides in an effort to hold on. He looked over to the shore, hoping for help from that quarter, but only managed to yell out to Teal'c, before the boat completely tipped over, depositing him into the frigid water.

He came up sputtering and spitting, splashing around as he looked for the boat, finally locating it a few feet away, floating upside down. He started to swim for it, but was immediately pulled back, by something that had grabbed his ankle.

He yelled out again as he took one more look toward the shore, seeing all three of his teammates heading toward the water, intending to come to his rescue. It was the last time he saw them, as he struggled while being tugged down under the water.

Self-preservation kicked in at that point and Jack fought with everything he had in order to survive. He kicked and flailed; struggling with all his might to free himself from what he knew would be certain death. His chest felt like it was going to burst any minute, his lungs protesting the unnatural act of holding his breath for too long a time, but there was no way he was going to give into the welcoming arms of the woman who swam around him.

He doubled over so that he could pry off whatever it was that had grabbed him, and was not surprised when he saw that a hand held his ankle in a firm grasp. He viciously kicked at the face of the man who held on to his ankle, but the man put out his other arm to stop the assault. The other hand must have held a knife, as blood now flowed from a fresh wound in Jack's leg.

Jack was losing the fight. He ignored the stream of red that colored the water and floated upward toward fresh air, as he continued to kick at the man who was holding his leg. But his wild struggles for freedom were for nothing. Darkness settled over him, as the pain in his chest intensified, and he could feel himself drifting away from life, as he knew it. The last thing he saw before darkness took over completely, was the concern on the woman's face as she came over, took his head into her hands and stared into his eyes. Death by drowning was not a pretty way to go.


	2. Chapter 2

Secrets and lies made up the Mariner's world, as he roamed the seas on his boat. He made his living trading plants and dirt that had been scooped up from the ocean floor for food, and distilled water to sustain him during the long days away from civilization. The dirt seemed to be the most prized of all his belongings, so the Mariner made sure that he had a small stash whenever he came to a way station. But he never stayed longer than a day. His preservation depended on keeping his distance from the people who lived there, knowing that if his secret became common knowledge they would kill him.

He was good at keeping secrets. What he didn't tell them, knowing that they wouldn't understand, was that his kind had come from a world that was located millions of miles away. His ancestors had willingly left their own world to come to this one in hopes of finding peace from an enemy that was bent on destroying their kind and to build their lives on the abundance this new world offered. They had come to Earth to live in peace, only to find that they were outcasts among the humans who originated here.

The Mariner's people had survived thousands of years of hatred and oppression by hiding their differences and by blending in with the very people who would destroy them if their secrets were known. They had long since given up on finding a way back to their original home and had settled down in their adopted world, with the faint hope that one of their descendants would somehow find a way back. It was a dream that still hadn't come true, as far as the Mariner knew.

* * *

Daniel Jackson was in shock. He couldn't believe what Teal'c had been telling him for the last hour. Colonel Jack O'Neill was nowhere to be found. This is not happening, Daniel thought, as he stared out over the water, still searching for his friend. He had to be out there. He and Teal'c had swam over to the place where the boat had tipped over, searching diligently for their fallen comrade, but the man was gone, missing, lost – and Daniel refused to add the word, "forever" to that thought.

Daniel had been standing next to the shoreline, talking with Teal'c while looking out over the landscape, hoping to see something that would give him the clue he needed to talk Jack into staying for a little while longer. He and Teal'c both turned toward the water when they heard Jack call out to Teal'c, just before the boat completely tipped over. Daniel had stood there in shock for a split second, while Teal'c dove into action, literally. He yelled for Sam to cover him as he began to peel off his vest while running toward the water. Sam nodded as she held her gun ready, while Daniel had tried to make sense of what he had seen. Teal'c's actions had galvanized Daniel though, and he, too, took off at a dead run to try to help Jack.

"Jack!" he yelled at the top of his lungs, stopping momentarily when he saw Jack's head pop up from the water. "Jack!" he yelled again, when Jack had suddenly gone down again. The swimming lessons he had taken all those years ago came in handy as Daniel swam out toward the place he last saw his friend. There was no way he was going to settle for a dead friend. He and Jack had been through way too much for it to end this way.

He and Teal'c came to the spot Jack had last been seen at the same time. They knew this had to be the place as the water was colored red, by what Daniel could only assume was blood. He and Teal'c kept diving for Jack for what seemed like hours, but there was no sign of their leader. Nothing. Not a trace. Teal'c came up for what turned out to be the last time and stared at Daniel, his eyes conveying his sorrow, then turned to swim over to the boat, which was floating upside down and drifting toward the shore.

"He is gone, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c's said, as he turned the boat over and began towing it toward the shore and toward Sam, who was pacing on the shoreline, her gun at the ready, just in case. Daniel didn't follow his friend; instead he stayed where he was, treading water as he searched far and wide for Jack. It can't end like this.

"We can't give up now," Daniel shouted, as Teal'c moved closer to the shore. "He's down there somewhere. I know he is."

"We did not find him," Teal'c called back, and Daniel could hear the Jaffa's grief all the way over to where he was treading water. "He could not have survived."

"No," Daniel said softly, his eyes scanning the horizon, as he tried to find the man who had become his best friend over the years. "No."

"Daniel?" Sam called out, and Daniel turned to see her standing there, watching and waiting for him. She was too far away for him to see the tears in her eyes, but he heard them in her voice, and he took one last look around before swimming back to the shore, hoping he would be strong enough to be there for her.

They had spent the next hour making plans and contacting the SGC, while Daniel refused to believe Teal'c, as the big guy insisted that there was no way Jack could survive. Jack was out there and it was up to SG-1 to find him. Jack would do the same thing for them.

General Hammond sent divers to help in the search for Jack, and Daniel stood there on the beach watching as they searched the area where Jack was last seen. Sam had dug out his blanket and he wrapped it around himself as he stood there on the beach watching and waiting for the divers to find his friend. Sam stayed with him, trying hard not to give into her own grief, but they had been a team for years, relying on each other in life threatening situations and Daniel couldn't help but glare out at the water that had broken up his team.

"He's got to be out there," Sam said with conviction. "Where could he have gone?"

"I don't know," Daniel responded, as he turned to look at his friend. He reached over to wipe away her tears and she reacted by pulling him to her for a hug. He held her, knowing that she needed some comfort, but deep down he also knew that Jack was still alive. He had to be.

The divers finally gave up when it got dark, much to Sam and Daniel's dismay. They wanted the divers to keep on working. Daniel was seriously thinking about punching the crap out of one of them when he gave Daniel a sorrowful look. Jack was not dead, no matter what that jerk thought.

They made camp for the night, but sleep didn't come easy for the members of SG-1. Their commander was out there somewhere, whether he be alive or dead, and they couldn't relax for the worry, fear and guilt that each were dealing with.

* * *

Dead silence. Jack O'Neill opened his eyes, only to find darkness accompanying the silence, and he wondered where he was and how he got there. His leg was throbbing painfully and he had the headache from Hell, but at least he was alive. Dead people didn't feel pain, did they?

He gritted his teeth and tried to sit up, but the pain in his head intensified with the movement and he groaned, as he lay back down and pressed the palms of his hands into his closed eyes, willing the pain to go away. Why did this stuff always have to happen to him?

He pulled his hands away and tried to pull back from the hands that had grabbed his head. It was too dark to see who was touching him, and Jack was determined that he wouldn't just lay there and let whoever it was kill him, so he grabbed the arms of his attacker trying to hold whoever it was off.

It was a woman, judging by the slimness of the arms he was holding on to, and by the soft voice that filtered through his mind. He didn't understand the words, but he knew she was trying to calm him down. Her words were soothing and he felt himself relaxing as she spoke to him. She placed her fingers along both sides of his face, softly caressing the skin at his temples, but Jack jerked back, determined to keep her from doing whatever it was she wanted to do. She said something a little harsher and a light was turned on, illuminating the room, causing him to slam his eyes shut against the blinding pain. He struggled to open his eyes and was successful to some degree, as the face of the woman who was trying to calm him came into view. It was the woman he had seen in the water, he realized, as his memory came back to him full force and he tried once again to push her away, only to cry out in agony when someone else grabbed his sore leg and squeezed it hard.

They were attacking him, as far as Jack was concerned, and he fought back by pushing the woman away as hard as he could, while struggling to get up so that he wasn't in the vulnerable position of lying flat on his back. He managed to get up off the bed, but he hadn't succeeded in getting anywhere as he found that he had ended up in a corner of the room with the woman and her two male companions standing in front of him, blocking the exit. Damn, now what?

"You are of the people," the woman said, obviously trying to calm him down. Jack just stared at her, taking in everything about her, including the fact that she was wearing a necklace with a strange symbol hanging from it. He had to admit that she was beautiful. Her long, dark hair framing her face, while green eyes stared back at him with concern. His attention was caught by the strange necklace, as he stared at it with curiosity. Something about it seemed familiar. He went back to watching her face, wondering what she and her friends had in store for him, even as he thought about attacking her in an effort to make his getaway.

His leg was still throbbing and Jack had to lean against the wall for support. This, in itself, told him he wasn't going to get far, even if he did get out of the room. One of the men gestured to Jack's leg and snarled something at him, but Jack was too busy trying to figure out a way out of there to even try to figure out what that idiot wanted. The woman took a tentative step toward him, and Jack pulled back even further into the corner, telling her with his eyes that she was on the brink of getting hurt.

"You are of the people," she said again, as she pointed at his leg.

"Yeah, so what of it?" Jack asked.

The man snarled something at him again, and Jack watched in amazement as the woman turned to the man and snapped out a response. The guy then turned his anger on her, demanding something, which she just ignored. She smiled at Jack again, and said once more, "You are of the people."

"I am of the people," Jack responded, wishing she'd get that broken record fixed. "Who are you?"

She smiled at him with confusion in her eyes, and Jack knew that communicating with this woman was going to be extremely difficult. She reached for him once more, but Jack wasn't about to let her touch him. She said something in that soothing voice of hers, causing Jack to start looking for a way to get out of that place now. Her voice seemed to have some control over him, and this was something he was definitely not comfortable with.

"Look," he said, "I appreciate the hospitality and the fact that you're trying to help out, but I really do need to get back. My friends are probably worried about me." No one moved, so Jack tried again. "They are probably out there look…"

"You are of the people," the woman said again, and Jack was starting to get pissed. This broken record was definitely grating on his nerves.

"I am Jack O'Neill," he said, pointing at himself. "Jack." She gave him a broad smile at that point, and Jack felt a tug on his heart. She certainly was pretty, he thought, before mentally stepping back. This woman was the enemy, at least for the moment.

"Leata," she said, as she pointed at herself.

Some things were universal, he thought, as he nodded at her, then said, "Leata," as he pointed at her. She nodded her head, then moved toward him with her arms outstretched to try to grab his head again. "No," he snarled at her, jerking away so hard that he hit his head on the wall. "Ow!' he complained, as he reached up to hold his aching head in his hand.

He was trapped, with nowhere to run, but he couldn't let it go down this way. Just as she touched his face, he pushed her back and made a run for it. The two men who were with her didn't have a leg wound and were able to stop him before he even made it to the door. Jack still tried to do some major damage though, and was glad to hear one of them yell as Jack's fist caught him in the face. He was dragged back to the bed and forced back on to it. One of the men held him down by holding his legs, while the other one held on to his wrists and pulled them up over his head. But it was the woman's actions that had Jack's sense of dignity snarling at her. She had gotten up on the bed and sat on his chest, straddling him as she reached over to put her hands on his head again. Jack bucked and tried to knock her off, but she held on, all the while talking to him in that soothing voice, calming him despite himself.

They ended up staring at each other as the woman sat there, her hands placed on either side of his face, and Jack wished she would just do whatever it was she was going to do, so that he could be rid of her. Her fingers moved along the skin of his face in slow movements, and he realized with shock that she was trying to read his mind. "No," he shouted, as he tried once more to dislodge her from his chest. The man holding his legs knew how to stop him though, and Jack screamed when the man dug his fingers into the raw wound in his leg.

The woman stopped what she was doing at that point, and turned to snarl at the man. The man responded with something, but the woman must have had enough of this guy, because she got up from her perch and went over to the man, screeching at him in her native language and pointing at the door, obviously telling the man to get the hell out of there. The man left, but not before he snarled something else at Jack.

Jack just lay there, breathing hard from the effort it took to fight off the attack on his mind and his leg, and watched the entire scene play out between the two. He was more than surprised when she turned back to him and smiled at him, before saying, "He wants proof."

"Proof of what?" he asked, once he got over the shock of her saying something other than, 'You are of the people'.

He then had to smile at the woman when she said simply, "That you are of the people."

"Oh well, I should have known," Jack responded sarcastically. He tugged at his arms and was glad when the other man let go of his wrists. Now if he could only convince his leg to hold up long enough for him to get out of this place he'd be in great shape. He sat up gingerly, then looked down at the limb that was giving him so much trouble, grimacing at the blood that was dripping freely down his leg. He looked up at Leata, hoping that her command of his language was good enough to understand what a doctor was.

"Heal your leg," she said, before he could ask her to go get a doctor. He could only look at her with disbelief. So much for asking her to help him, he thought incredulously.

"Do you have any bandages or a first aid kit?" he asked. She stared at him a moment, processing his words then shook her head, apparently not knowing what either one of those things were. "A first aid kit," he said again, using his hands to attempt a description, but realized that there really wasn't anyway to do it. "You know, bandages, Neosporin, aspirin… oh man, could I go for some aspirin right about now." She was still looking at him with a puzzled look, and Jack decided to just give up. "What about a doctor?"

Leata shook her head as she watched him. The other man said something to her in their native language, but she shrugged her shoulders as she glanced at Jack again. "A doctor," Jack said again, pointing at his leg in hopes of making her understand. "Someone to fix this."

"Heal your leg," she said, as the confused look turned into something else. She knelt down in front of him and grabbed his hands. He tried to pull away from her, but she was insistent. "Heal yourself," she repeated as she held his hands over the wound in his leg.

"Just like that," he said, anger moving in again. What did these people want? "Just tell my leg to heal and it will." She nodded her head, but Jack could tell she didn't have a clue as to what he was saying. "I can't," he told her angrily. "I need bandages and water. Don't you have any doctors here?"

The sadistic man came back into the room at that moment carrying an object that was shaped like a triangle sitting on a base, with a pendulum swinging wildly from the top point. The pendulum seemed to swing faster as the man came up to Jack. Jack watched the man warily; ready and willing to defend himself at all costs.

He jumped instead, when the woman gave a triumphant shout, then grabbed the object and showed it to the other man and to Jack, while telling everyone that she knew it all along. At least that was what Jack thought she was saying, as she had been speaking in her native language.

"You are of the people," she said, yet one more time, her expression daring him to deny it now. What could he say to the undeniable proof she had in her hands, Jack thought sarcastically.

"What is that thing?" he asked instead; as he reached down to pull the cloth of the pant leg away from the wound to get a better look at it.

"Your people brought it to us many, many years ago," she said, surprising Jack with the fact that she apparently knew his language fairly well. "We knew that you would come to bring us news of our people."

Jack didn't respond, his attention had been caught by the sight of the feet of the other people in the room. They were barefoot and their feet looked normal, except for what looked like webbing between the toes. He stared at the feet of his captors for a minute, then looked up at the faces of the people standing before him. They looked normal enough, but his instincts were telling him that something very strange was going on here, and he'd be way better off back at the SGC.

"Is there any chance of me going back to the Stargate?" he asked, actually feeling some disappointment when the woman shook her head.

"You died on the way here," she told him. "You may not make it back."


	3. Chapter 3

The Mariner's ancestors showed up in their new homes on a planet called Earth thousands of years ago. They were a community of only a handful of people, and their excitement of finding a place to live in peace was marred only by the fears and loneliness as they mourned the families and friends they had left behind.

But they had a will to survive, to colonize and to create a home among the people who had brought them to this world. And they lived in peace as they built their lives in a world that didn't have monsters that dwelled in the night. They didn't have to find their shelter in the coves and recesses at the bottom of the ocean in order to avoid those monsters. So they built their homes on dry land along the shores of their new world, creating a haven for those who would follow them from their home world.

They were brought to this world by a people that seemed to be so far advanced then their own. The people called themselves the Ancients. The Ancients arrived at the home world of the colonists by ship, bearing gifts and a device that allowed them to travel among the stars, a device they called the Stargate. The Ancients offered them an escape from the terrors of their world, and the Mariner's ancestors embraced the opportunity.

They had survived in their new homes, only to be abandoned once again when the people who had brought them to this world left them as they moved on to find peace in another. The descendants of the original colonists had survived and they learned to live among the new environment, making their homes in the oceans and on the land, blending in well with their new neighbors.

It wasn't until some of them moved on to other parts of their new world that they discovered evidence of hatred and persecution. They had come to this world to face yet another monster – the one called prejudice._

* * *

_

Daylight was a welcome sight for Daniel the next morning. He was up and about at the crack of dawn, making as much noise as possible in order to wake the divers and get them back out there. Sam joined him when his noise woke her, but she didn't bother trying to be subliminal in her efforts of waking up the others. She went right up to their tents and started yelling at them to get up and get going.

Daniel had to wonder why he hadn't thought of that. He grinned at her when she walked back over to him and picked up a cup to get some coffee. Sam just gave him a sweet smile and they sat and watched as the divers came out of their tents, some of them grumbling and complaining as they went about their morning rituals.

"I would have done that for you," Teal'c said, as he came over to join them. He sat down across from the pair, but his attention was on the fire that was crackling in the pit Sam had built.

"You weren't quick enough," Sam said with a small smile.

Teal'c nodded in agreement, his face reflecting his sorrow. "The Tau'ri are a strange people," he said, his attention still on something burning in the fire. He looked up at them, then added, "You refuse to believe in something that is plainly obvious, yet at the same time you believe in a God no one has ever seen." He stopped and went back to looking into the fire, and Daniel was at a loss as to what to say to this.

"Not everyone believes in God," Daniel said in an attempt to help Teal'c work through this puzzle. "Those that do, have their own reasons for doing so. Some people need to have actual physical proof, while others are content to believe based on their own experiences."

"O'Neill is lost to us, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c said, his expression stoic as he looked back up at Daniel and Sam. "Yet, you refuse to believe this. Tell me. What is it that makes you think he is still alive?"

Daniel stared back at his friend, trying to formulate an answer that wouldn't confuse him any more than he already was. "I don't know," he finally said. "I can't explain it. He's out there, Teal'c. We all saw him fighting something. Maybe whatever – or whoever it was took him to their home, just as Nem took me to his home."

"I agree with Daniel," Sam said, with hope shining in her eyes. "I just can't believe he is gone, just like that." She shook her head, as she, too, stared into the fire. "He is not lost to us, Teal'c. Not yet."

"I am reminded of the time you were thought to be lost to us," Teal'c said, as he smiled at Daniel. "That planet looked similar to this one."

"I remember," Daniel responded quietly. His stay in the water palace of the ancient being that lived there was not something he liked to dwell on. The fear and pain he endured to help still lingered in his memory, even after all this time.

"That time was different," Sam said. "We were forced to believe that Daniel was dead. No one has messed with our minds, this time. The Colonel just disappeared."

"Perhaps," Teal'c acknowledged. He got up then, and walked over to the shore, staring out at the waves that were playing with each other and lapping at his feet. Teal'c was already dealing with his loss, Daniel realized, with a heavy heart. He so hoped that Teal'c was wrong this time.

* * *

Jack didn't get a chance to learn what Leata meant by her words, as the room he was in was filling up quickly. More and more people were coming in to see for themselves that their visitor was indeed, 'one of the people'. Jack didn't understand a thing that was being said, as Leata was too busy talking with the others to stop and translate for him. He found himself wishing Daniel was there with him right that minute. Daniel would have figured out what they were saying long before now.

His leg was still bleeding, though not as badly, and Jack finally got the bright idea of taking off his belt to use as a tourniquet. The others in the room stopped talking and turned to stare at him expectantly when they noticed what he was doing. This unnerved him to no end, but there wasn't much he could do to get them to stop staring at him like that. Jeez, he now knew what it felt like to be in a freak show.

"Heal yourself," Leata said, and Jack had to squelch the urge to get up and smack some sense into her. If nothing else, it might get her to quit repeating herself.

"I'm trying to," he said, with a sigh. "It would go much better if I had some bandages and water. Hey," he added, when he thought of a perfectly good solution. "Just let me go back to the Stargate and I'll get the Doc to fix my leg. She's a miracle worker when it comes to this stuff," he promised, hoping they would believe him.

"You are of the people," she said, trying to make him understand.

Jack had had enough. He jumped up off the bed and swayed a little, as dizziness took over. "I can't heal myself without the proper supplies. And if you so much as tell me that I am one of the people one more time…" He stopped then, as the room threatened to turn upside down and his stomach started churning right along with it. "Oh God," he moaned, as he collapsed back down on the bed. This was so not good.

He lay back on the bed, willing the nausea to go away, while he closed his eyes and listened to Leata as she ordered everyone out. He still didn't know the language, but he was getting good at figuring out what she was saying – some of the time anyway.

He opened his eyes and looked at her when she came back to sit down on the bed next to him. She smiled at him and began talking to him in that soothing voice. Jack immediately went on alert, waiting for her to try something, like reading his mind again. He was determined to kill her if she tried it again, but she just sat there and talked to him.

He shook his head at her; trying to tell her that he didn't understanding a thing she was telling him. She stopped, then tried again. "You cannot heal yourself?" she asked, and Jack felt like he had just won a major battle.

"Yes!" he exclaimed, glad that she finally understood him. "I don't have the supplies, or the expertise to do that. I think it's going to need some stitches… Whoa!" he said, as he pulled back from her searching fingers. She had been reaching for his head again, and he was not about to let that happen.

"I do not understand your words," she told him, as if that explained everything.

"I need bandages, cloths, to keep the wound from bleeding." She still didn't understand, so Jack tried again. "Cloth," he said, as he pulled at his shirt, then grabbed the fabric of the shirt she was wearing. "Cloth."

She looked at him as if he had lost his mind, but she dutifully began to take off her shirt. "No!" he said, hurriedly. "Not that particular piece of cloth… oh, never mind," he grumbled. "I'll just lie here and bleed to death."

Leata sat there looking at him, and he could see that she was really trying to understand. He sighed, then told her. "I can not heal myself without medicine."

"You are of…"

"Uh uh," he said to stop her from saying it. "What does that mean?"

"I did not learn enough of your words when I was with you," she said, trying to make him understand. "I must have more time."

"When you were with me?" Jack asked, trying to figure out what she was going on about now.

"Yes," she said with a nod, then pointed at his head. "When I was with you," she repeated.

"You were learning my language when you were holding my head?" he said incredulously. Eat your heart out, Daniel Jackson, he thought maliciously.

Leata nodded at him, then reached over to take his head in her hands. Jack was not about to give in so easily though, and he jerked his head away from her grasp.

"No way," he insisted. "There's no telling what else you could learn while you're in there."

"I have not touched other parts of your mind," she told him. "I only need your language."

"Forget it," he said adamantly. "You'll just have to learn it the hard way." He stared at her for a moment, then asked, "Did you do that while I was out of it earlier?"

"Out of it?" she asked, confusion clouding her features once again.

"While I was asleep," he clarified.

"You must be awake," she answered. "The mind is…" she stopped as she searched her mind for the right word, then finished her sentence when she found it. "Cloudy when you are asleep."

"Cloudy," he said, not so sure he believed her.

She nodded, then said, "The people can heal themselves. Why is it you cannot?"

"I need something to put around the wound to keep it from bleeding," he said slowly, hoping she would be able to keep up with him. "I don't how to heal it any other way."

She frowned at him, then went over to the table to pick up the object that had been brought in earlier. The pendulum was still swinging back and forth, and the woman held it up like a trophy, showing him proof of what she was saying.

Jack just shook his head. He was at a total loss as to what he could tell her. He could see frustration in her eyes, and he could so relate to that frustration.

She came over to him and sat back down on the bed next to him, still holding on to the statuette. She stared at it for a second, then made another attempt at getting through to him. "This is a brogon," she said. "I do not know your word for it and you will not let me look for it," she accused.

"You got that right!" Jack couldn't help but say.

She frowned at him again, then continued with her spiel. "Your people left it here many years ago. They said that it would tell us when they were near and that they would bring us news of our brethren. They left it here with us and it has not moved until you came."

"And you think because it's moving while I am sitting here means..."

"That you are of the people," she said.

"Okay, first of all, I am so tired of hearing you say that," he told her angrily, wishing he could get her to stop with those words already. "Secondly, I have absolutely no idea whatsoever what you are talking about. My friends and I came through the Stargate hoping to do a little exploring, but I ended up drowning instead." He stopped then, to look at her cautiously. "Did I or did I not drown?"

She stared at him for a moment, then told him, "I gave you life."

Jack couldn't hide his surprise at that, "You gave me life?"

"Yes," she said, matter-of-factly. "You were not…" she stopped to hunt for the word, then gave up and looked at him while taking deep breaths, obviously trying to tell him without words.

"Breathing," he said, and her whole face lit up when she smiled at him.

"Yes!" she said. "Breathing." She continued to smile at him as she went on with her story. "You were not breathing and I gave you life."

"Life," he said, grinning back at her. Her smile was infectious. "Oh, you mean you gave me air?"

She nodded her head, still smiling at him. Jack wasn't sure he wanted to know how she 'gave him air', so he decided to ask a question that had been hovering in his mind from the very first moment he met her. "How is it you can breathe under water?"

This time she didn't hesitate. Apparently her knack for learning languages was a lot better than Daniel's. She reached up to pull her hair back away from her neck and turned to show him what looked like gills in her neck, just behind her ear. Yep, Jack thought, definitely alien.

"We are born with the ability to breathe both above and under the water," she informed him. "Your people believed this to be a good thing. They came to us when monsters were destroying our world and they became friends with my people. They said they knew of a place where we could live in peace and they took several of my people with them when they left." She looked down at the object she still held onto, then back up at him. "That was many, many years ago. Long before my grandfather was born."

"Your people have been waiting all this time?" Jack couldn't help but ask.

"Yes. We are no longer in danger of the monsters. They cannot breathe under the water like we can, and we were able to hide here until they died off," she said. "Your words are much easier to speak," she told him, her features showing her pride.

"I can tell," Jack responded. She still hadn't told him why he was here; other than they thought he might have news of people taken by someone he didn't know hundreds of years ago. He hoped they weren't the type to kill him if he wasn't able to cooperate. "What is it you want from me?" he asked.

"We had hoped you would tell us what happened to our people," she said.

"I don't know what happened to your people," Jack replied sadly. "From what you're telling me, all this happened long before I was born."

"You are of the people," she insisted, as the hope that was shining in her eyes dimmed. "The people said that you would come." She looked down at the object in her lap, and Jack felt like a heel for disappointing her like that.

"Look, I'm sorry," he said, hoping he could come up with something that would cheer her up somehow, "But I have no idea what you are talking about."

Leata stood up at that point and went over to the table to place the brogon back on it, then turned to face him, as she said, "We have a healer who may be able to help you." Jack could see the defeat in her face, but he didn't know how to chase away her feeling of failure, no matter how much he wanted to.

"A healer," he said, with a smile. "Yes, a doctor." She nodded, then left the room without so much as a good-bye. Jack didn't really care, he was too busy taking advantage of an opportunity to escape and he got up slowly to test the waters. Very little nausea, head and leg throbbing madly, and so far no dizziness – all in all, a good sign. He decided to ignore the pain in his head and stood up, wobbling a little as he put all his weight on his uninjured leg. So far, so good. He limped over to the door, then snarled inwardly as he saw two burly men standing guard. Wonderful, he thought, as he realized that he wasn't going to get too far with an injured leg. Running didn't seem to be such a great option.

"Hey," he said to the guards, while giving them a little wave. "How's the weather out there?" They didn't respond, which Jack attributed to the fact that they probably didn't understand his language, so he kept on going. "I thought I would go out for a little walk. You know, to check out the neighborhood, get to know you all, that sort of thing." He took a step toward the door, which prompted the two men to block his way, as they stood there in front of the door with their arms crossed over their chests. "Not too friendly are you?" Jack asked, still trying to buy some time as he worked on possible scenarios for escaping. "Well, I wasn't exactly expecting a Welcome Wagon representative, but you guys could at least try to be nice to the new kid on the block." The room led out into a hallway, from what Jack could see as he baited the two guards, but he couldn't tell where the hallway led.

His strategic planning session was interrupted, however, when Leata suddenly returned, followed by an old woman who was just as beautiful as his translator. The woman said something to Leata, who nodded her head as she stared at Jack. Jack gave her a look that clearly told her he wanted to know what was being said, but Leata didn't say anything. She came over to take him by the arm in order to lead him back to the bed, but Jack was still a little leery of these people. He jerked his arm away from her, then backed up a few steps when the old woman reached out to him.

"She is a healer," Leata said. "She cannot learn from you as I have done. Only my brother and I can do that." Jack didn't believe her, and it was apparent she understood this, because she went on to explain, "Only a few of us have the ability to learn from others by touching," she said. "We are the only ones allowed to wear this." She reached down to pick up the pendant hanging from her necklace to show him and Jack watched her warily as she reached out to grab his arm again. "She cannot learn from you."

"How do I know she won't try to kill me," Jack said, still watching the old woman warily.

"She is a healer… a doctor," Leata said, resorting to the soft tones that had Jack tensing up even more. She was trying to make him relax, and this was something he couldn't let happen. He knew from experience what could happen when he let his guard down. "A doctor," Leata said again. "You will be safe, I promise."

Jack didn't know what to believe. This woman had done a lot to protect him from the sadistic son of a bitch who had attacked him earlier, and he wasn't tied down, although the two guards at the door still made him a prisoner. From what Leata had been telling him, they didn't want to hurt him, they just wanted to know where their people were. He decided to let the old woman take care of his leg, but still keep his guard up, just in case. He nodded at Leata before heading over to the bed to sit down on it.

Leata smiled at him, then nodded at the old woman, who then came over to do a thorough inspection of Jack's wound. "This is Brenn," Leata told him. "She is a healer."

"Hi," Jack responded, when the healer nodded her greeting. She knelt down in front of him and proceeded to inspect his wound, while Jack watched her carefully. She had gentle hands, he realized as she carefully peeled the torn cloth away from the wound, even where his blood had clotted the material making it stick to the cut on his leg. She said something to Leata, who immediately went to the door to pass on the request to someone else. Jack hated the fact that he couldn't understand a word that was being said, leaving him to put all his trust in the one woman who had shown him nothing but kindness. Leata could still turn on him, he knew, but for some reason, he trusted her completely.

A young boy came in, carrying a bowl of water and a small bag and brought it over to the healer. Jack smiled at the kid who was openly gaping at him. The boy didn't smile back, he just stood there and stared at Jack for a minute or two before turning to Leata and began to tell her something that had Leata looking at Jack with concern. She nodded at the child, who then went back to staring at Jack while answering Leata's questions.

"What's he saying?" Jack finally got the opportunity to ask. Leata stared at him for a moment, while the kid was verbally pushing her to do something. Leata made a sound that clearly told Jack that she was annoyed by the kid's insistent banter, as she gestured for the child to be quiet. Jack had to grin at the indignant look the kid gave her before he turned to stare at Jack expectantly, disgruntlement clearly showing up on his young face.

"Your friends are looking for you," Leata replied, causing the grin on Jack's face to disappear completely. He had forgotten about his team, and now worried about them. They had to be frantic with worry for him and Jack knew that he had to get a message to them somehow, preferably delivering the message himself.

"I have to get back to them," he said, hoping to make his captors understand that he couldn't stay with them. "I don't want them to worry about me."

"It would take several days to go back over land," Leata told him, sadness settling in her voice. "The land is…," she stopped for a moment, as she stared at him, then added, "Rough?" He nodded his understanding of the word she had chosen and she went on to say, "It would be a hard journey."

"I've been gone several days?" he asked her, hardly believing that he'd been out of it for that long. Surely it didn't take several days to rejoin the world of the living. But then again, the last thing he remembered was being dragged under water as he tried to kill the sadistic bastard who held him under. Come to think of it, he wondered, as Leata shook her head, why didn't his friends help him when he had been taken out of the water?

"We brought you here through the ocean," she told him, effectively answering his unspoken question. "It only takes a few hours to come here through the water."

"A few hours?" Jack asked, totally lost as far as figuring out what was going on. "Ow!" he yelped, when Brenn began spreading something on the wound in his leg that was now clean of blood and dirt. "Stop," he demanded, when the stuff started burning the flesh around his wound. He tried to pull his leg away from the woman who must have decided that torture was in store for him, but she grabbed his leg around the ankle, trying to hold it still.

"It will help heal your leg," Leata insisted as she came over to sit next to him, while wrapping her arms around him in an effort to calm him. Jack was not about to sit there and let them kill him though, and he pulled away from Leata, while at the same time trying to kick at the healer. He was successful in landing a kick on the wrist that was holding his ankle, and the healer cried out as she let go and stood up, holding her injured wrist with her other hand and staring at him with tears in her eyes.

"Stop it, Jack!" Leata demanded, as she went over to put her arms around the woman he had hurt. They both stood there staring at him, Leata with accusing eyes and the healer with tears streaming down her face, and Jack felt like an ass. The kid didn't help matters when he snarled something at Jack as he too went over to comfort the old woman.

"Look, I'm sorry," Jack said with feeling. "That stuff just hurt!" The others stared at him, while the boy gave a derisive snort, telling Jack without words what he thought of a grown man who couldn't even take a little pain, making Jack feel like a wimp on top of feeling like an ass. This was so not good. "I'm sorry," he said again to the old woman.

Leata said something to the old woman, who nodded warily as she continued to stare at Jack. "It will help heal your leg," Leata said again as she turned her attention to Jack, the tone of her voice relaying her anger at him.

He just nodded at her, then turned toward the old woman and held out his hand, palm up, to her. "I'm sorry," he repeated, hoping she could forgive him for hurting her. He knew by now that these people weren't really his enemy. Leata and the healer had been nothing but kind to him, and he wished he could take back the hurt he had caused them both.

The old woman glanced at Leata before taking a step toward him, apparently deciding to give him another chance. He smiled encouragingly at her as she came closer, but the wary look on her face told him that she didn't trust him as far as she could throw him. He sat there quietly as she picked up the little jar that held the salve and began to apply it to the wound in his leg. It still burned as it was applied, and Jack ended up gritting his teeth to keep from letting the others know it hurt as bad as it did. He was damned if he was going to give that kid another opportunity to call him a wuss again.

"You need to rest," Leata told him, as she sat down next to him. "You will sleep now and your leg will start to heal."

"What about my friends?" Jack asked, as a fuzzy feeling started to invade his thinking. "I need to get a message to them." That shit was drugged, he realized, as he tried to fight off the hazy feeling that was pulling him toward sleep. "You drugged me," he accused, as he tried to focus on Leata's face. "I trusted you!"

"The medicine will begin to heal your wound as you sleep," she soothed, as she reached over to stroke his cheek. "Let it begin the healing."

"I trusted you," he said again. He couldn't keep his eyes open, and he finally gave up the fight and gave into the darkness that enveloped him along with the soothing words of comfort that seeped in and calmed him.


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Notes: Here's another installment of this story. Trtlsoup2001 - I hadn't really thought about what season this story takes place, other than it was definitely before season 6. So I am going to go for season 5. :) Hope this helps!

**Chapter 4**

The settlers evolved over the years, preferring to stay with their own kind, although a few took the step and married the humans who saw past their alien appearance. Still, they were an oddity and they knew that most of the humans would kill them if they were caught.

They lived among the seas, settling down near the ocean's shoreline, laughing with delight when they heard the stories of mermaids and mermen that drifted back to them from the sailors who had seen them frolicking in the oceans. They enjoyed hearing the tales, and even encouraged them. Fooling the sailors was easy to do during the earlier centuries. The sailors who had seen the Mariner's ancestors swimming in the oceans believed the stories of people who had fins instead of legs. How else could they have survived in their homes among the fish and the sharks?

But eventually progress took over, and the Mariner's ancestors had learned to evolve with the times. Science and technology scoffed at the image of mermaids and the settlers had to resort to hiding once again, although they continued to integrate with even the most modern people. They moved out of the oceans and into the towns along the shores, blending into the sea of humanity as they bustled about in the cities, building ships and bridges, helping to keep progress moving forward. They still kept to themselves, but they were no longer outcasts as long as they kept their secrets hidden. Long hair and shoes did that fairly well.

They kept their secrets well, while a few of them moved into the fields of science and astrophysics, hoping that one day they would find a way to go back to the world of their ancestors, a world where their kind would surely be accepted. The possibility was there, they just needed to find the way._

* * *

_

The divers were packing up. Daniel didn't even try to hide his resentment as they packed up their gear and got ready to travel back through the Stargate. They had given up and he hated every last one of them. Jack was not dead, as far as Daniel was concerned, no matter what the others thought. Until they found a body, Jack was alive and waiting for rescue.

Sam was just as pissed. Daniel had joined her as she argued for a continued rescue attempt, but they wouldn't listen to her. She had been hampered by her rank and the fact she was 'arguing' with a Colonel. There was only so much she could say without going over the line. Daniel finally gave up in frustration when General Hammond's orders came through loud and clear via the MALP's radio link. Colonel Jack O'Neill was officially listed as Missing in Action and his teammates were ordered to return to Stargate Command.

"It's only been two days," Sam complained to Daniel and Teal'c as they stood and watched while the divers packed up. The diving gear and tents were loaded onto the gurneys that were designed to carry out equipment and/or people, if the need arose.

Daniel nodded in agreement as Teal'c turned toward the water, choosing not to engage in the conversation. Daniel knew the reason for this silence was that Teal'c was tired of trying to convince his friends of the futility of hoping for something that could not possibly come to pass. As far as Teal'c was concerned, Jack O'Neill could not have survived for two days under water.

"Teal'c," Daniel said in a last ditch effort to make him understand. "Jack may be held in a place where there is air, just like I was on P3X-866. Something grabbed him out there, maybe whoever it was took him to that place."

"The divers found nothing out there to support that theory," Teal'c responded, as he stared out at the waves. "They did not find a hidden room, nor did they find O'Neill." He turned to look at Daniel and Sam, then said, "O'Neill can not survive under water for more than a few minutes. How was he transported to this 'place' you 'think' might be out there?"

"Where is his body?" Daniel asked angrily, gearing up to take on this argument, the same one he had waged with the divers several times throughout the last two days. "Did whatever it was that grabbed him, eat him? There wasn't that much blood out there, Teal'c." Teal'c just stared at him, his face showing no expression whatsoever and Daniel wanted to beat the crap out of him. "Where is his body?"

"Daniel's right," Sam said. "We've been through so much during the last several years. We can't give up on him now." She turned to stare out at the water, then told them, "He's out there somewhere. I just know it."

Teal'c didn't respond and Daniel stood there staring right back at him. "It doesn't matter what we believe though, does it?" he asked his friend, sadness creeping through him as he realized that he had lost the game. "General Hammond feels as you do and God knows we can't go against him." This was said with bitterness, which had Teal'c raising an eyebrow at the display of anger.

"We could refuse to go back," Teal'c said, causing Daniel to gape at his friend.

"What?" Sam said, apparently just as surprised as Daniel was. "Teal'c?" she queried. "Would you do that?"

"We have survived against all odds many times throughout the years," Teal'c told them. "Perhaps O'Neill's luck still holds for him. Besides," he added, as he regally stood there, his hands behind his back. "He does not like it when we leave him behind."

Daniel smiled broadly at Teal'c as he remembered the time Jack came through the Gate bitching and yelling that he had been left behind on a planet full of dead and dying crystals. His smile dimmed though when he thought of what could happen to them once they did go back if they disobeyed a direct order. He was not military, but Sam was and Daniel didn't think he wanted her to end up disciplined for something he and Teal'c were willing to tackle.

He completely forgot all about what could happen to any of them when he heard a shout from one of the divers. He turned to see what all the fuss was about and saw something heading toward them from the ocean. Daniel couldn't squelch his excitement as he stared at the apparition that swam toward them. "Jack?" he called out, hoping against all hope that his friend had found his way home.

It wasn't Jack, Daniel realized as the apparition came closer. Two more heads popped up out of the water and joined the first one, as Daniel watched the three people swim closer. Teal'c had already palmed his staff weapon and was ready for danger, but Daniel only barely registered this. The three people stood up when they were close enough to shore and Daniel watched as a woman, a boy and a man walked up to them. Sam and Teal'c steadied their weapons as they aimed them at the strangers, and Daniel knew that the divers were doing the same.

The woman held out her hands to stop the other two as she took another step forward, before stopping and holding out her hands to show Daniel that she had no weapons. Daniel took a tentative step toward her, knowing that his companions weren't ready to completely trust her just yet. "I am Daniel Jackson," he told her, holding out his hands in the same manner to show her he wasn't planning on hurting her.

She smiled at him, then said, "I am Leata. You are friends of Jack?"

"Jack!" Daniel exclaimed, excitement building up as he realized he had been right all along. Jack must surely be alive! "Yes!" he said, as he nodded his head at her, excitement making him a little antsy. "Is he okay? We've been worried about him."

Her smile brightened, obviously picking up on his excitement then told him, "He is alive and worried about you."

Daniel waited, but she didn't elaborate so he took the bull by the horns and asked, "Where is he? Why didn't you bring him with you?"

"He is injured and almost did not survive the trip to our land," she said. "I came to see if your other face will help him to return to you."

"My other face?" Daniel asked, his expression showing total confusion and surprise. What the hell was she talking about?

Leata nodded, then cupped her hand over her mouth and nose to demonstrate.

"Diving masks," Sam said, as understanding dawned, "Something to help him breathe under water." Leata nodded again and Sam grinned as she pointed at the gurneys that were piled with equipment. "We have some over there, along with air tanks and whatever else you need."

"Now wait just a minute," Colonel Cranston spoke up, "You can't just give this equipment away to every person who shows up asking for it. My divers need…"

"You've given up and were going home, remember?" Daniel snarled back at him, still angry about the man's unwillingness to spend more time looking for Jack. "Your people won't need it."

"Colonel, please," Sam said, in an obvious effort to wheedle the permission she needed. "Colonel O'Neill is alive out there. We have to help him get home."

Colonel Cranston just wasn't ready to cooperate. "Where is he?" he demanded of Leata, who was now showing signs of running for her life. The man who had accompanied Leata moved in front of her in an obvious attempt to protect her and Daniel wanted to give in to his desire to beat Colonel Cranston into a bloody pulp. He wouldn't have gotten far, he knew, but he was sure he'd feel better for what little damage he could possibly inflict.

"Colonel, if you don't mind," Daniel said instead. He smiled at Leata when Cranston reluctantly nodded at him, then gave her a long suffering sigh as he rolled his eyes and grinned at her, obviously calming her down. "He's a little cranky," he told her, hoping to calm her fears. "Jack can be worse sometimes."

Leata nodded her head at that, then said, "Jack is not so bad. He only hurt Brenn when he thought she was trying to kill him." Daniel didn't know what to say to that, but he didn't have to respond, as Leata continued, "He is in danger, Daniel Jackson. He will be safer here with you and your friends to protect him." She looked over at Teal'c when she said that and Daniel grinned when Teal'c bowed his head in agreement.

"What kind of danger?" Sam asked, staring warily at the man who came with Leata. Daniel could relate to Sam's worry. That guy looked mean enough to take them all out.

"Jack is of the people, but he is unable to prove it," Leata explained. "Mordan believes that Jack is evil and wants only to destroy us. He blames me for bringing Jack to our land, and he has told me that he will kill him to keep the evil from spreading."

"Kill Jack?" Daniel asked faintly. They had just found out he was alive only to find out someone wanted him dead. What is up with that guy?

"What do you mean, he is of the people?" Sam asked. She had a puzzle to solve, Daniel realized with a small smile. He could see the wheels turning in her head and Daniel knew she wouldn't give up until she had all the facts and several possible solutions to the problem all laid out nice and neat.

"His people came to us many, many years ago," Leata said. Daniel couldn't help but wonder why he and Sam weren't considered to be a part of 'his' people. They were humans, just as Jack was. "They came at a time when our world was in danger of being destroyed," Leata continued, her eyes taking on a far away look. "The people saw that we were able to breathe under water and told us that they knew of a world where we could go to live and not be bothered by the monsters who threatened us at the time."

"Monsters?" Teal'c asked, intrigue making a rare appearance.

"Yes," Leata said. "Creatures that wanted to destroy my race. They have died off long ago, and my people were free once again." The boy said something in a foreign language and Leata rolled her eyes before turning back to respond to him in her native language. She turned to Daniel, then told him, "Jack is in danger. The fastest way to bring him to you is through the ocean, but it takes several hours and he is not able to breathe under the water as we can."

"Where is he now?" Teal'c thought to ask. "Can you take us to him?"

"It would take several days to reach our homes if we were to travel by land," she said. "The land beyond the sand is very rough. There are many…," she stopped then as she stared at Daniel for a second, confusion marring her features, then continued, "Trees out there, as well as many creatures who can kill." She smiled apologetically at him, then told him, "Your language has many words and I have only just learned to speak them."

"You are doing great," Daniel felt compelled to tell her. "Where is Jack now?" he asked, worry for his friend taking priority.

"He is resting in my home," she replied, as she sent a worried glance toward her companions. Daniel had to wonder why that statement scared her, and Teal'c must have felt the same way.

"Is he well?" Teal'c asked quietly. "There was blood in the water where he disappeared."

"Mordan accidentally cut him when he struggled to get away from us," Leata responded. "We were surprised when he could not heal himself. He is of the people. I know this."

"Mordan is the one who wants him dead, right?" Colonel Cranston asked.

"Heal himself?" Sam spoke up almost at the same time.

"Yes," Leata responded, nodding first at Cranston, then at Sam. "He did not want to kill him at first. Only when he realized that Jack may not be of the people. But he is!" she continued with conviction. "The brogon proves it. I can feel it in here," she added, as she placed her hand over her chest. "Jack is of the people."

"What people?" Daniel asked. He couldn't help himself, people and cultures were his specialty.

"The people who came to our world many, many years ago," Leata told him, her expression showing her exasperation. The man who had come with Leata said something then, and Leata nodded at him before turning to Daniel, "I must leave here. I came only to get the other face… the diving mask, so that Jack could make the trip back. May I take one with me?"

Everyone turned to stare at Cranston, who looked from Daniel to Sam, then nodded his agreement. "He'll need an oxygen tank. Does he know anything about deep sea diving?" Cranston asked. Daniel and Sam both shrugged their shoulders, while Teal'c stood there with a raised eyebrow. "I'll show you how to hook it up, just in case," he said to Leata. "Better yet, my team and I will come with you."

She smiled at him then turned to tell her companions what was going on. Daniel watched her as she spoke with her friends, his attention drawn to the boy who kept glancing over at him. Daniel could tell that the kid was fascinated, but of what was a total mystery.

* * *

The headache was gone and for this Jack was grateful. He lay on the bed as he tried to think of a way to get out of this place. He had awakened only a few minutes ago, and one look around the room told him he was still a guest at Hotel California – 'You can checkout any time you like, but you can never leave'.

He briefly wondered where Leata had gone, but a more pressing need had him looking around for a place to take care of business. He gave up when he saw that there was no place for him to find relief, then limped over to the door, only to find it suddenly blocked by the two men who seemed to be permanently stationed outside his room.

"I just need to take a leak," he said, hoping they would understand, just this once. They didn't make a move and Jack knew total defeat. Things were pretty bad when a man had to beg to relieve himself. He went over to the bed and sat down, taking that opportunity to look at his leg. The wound seemed to be healing, judging by the pink skin around the angry red line running down his leg. The cut itself, looked to be nasty, but there was no pus, streaks or blood anywhere to be seen, so Jack grudgingly figured Brenn's ointment from Hell really did help. The fact that the leg still pained him when he walked on it, told him that it wasn't entirely healed, but things really did look good in that respect.

"You are awake."

Jack jumped a foot at the words, his heart racing as he glared at the man who stood at the door, quietly watching him.

"Yeah?" Jack growled, as he tried to calm himself. "What gave me away?"

"You were asleep a long time," the man answered, apparently ignoring the sarcasm as he walked into the room. He smiled at Jack, then said, "I am Rayner, Leata's brother."

"Nice to meet you," Jack responded sarcastically. He stared at the man for a moment, then asked, "You know my language?"

"Leata shared it with me," he said, a ghost of a smile showing through.

"Shared it?" Jack asked, almost afraid to find out what else the guy learned.

"Yes."

Jack nodded absently, as he looked away for a moment. He looked back at the man to ask, "Where is Leata?"

"She went to meet with your friends." Rayner said simply.

"Yeah?" Jack asked suspiciously. "Why didn't she wait for me? I'd have been more than happy to go with her."

"You can not breathe under water."

"Well, that's true," Jack conceded. "But then again, I made it here, didn't I?"

"Yes, you did," Rayner answered.

Jack was starting to get extremely aggravated at the man's unwillingness to participate. "Well?" he prompted.

This question caught the man off-guard, Jack noticed smugly. Two can play at this game.

"Leata will be back soon," Rayner responded, apparently deciding it would be easier to ignore Jack's question. "She will take you to see your friends." He stared at Jack for a moment, then said, "You must leave here. You are in danger."

"Danger?" Jack asked in surprise. Was Brenn heading back with her 'medicine', he wondered.

"Mordan wants you dead," Rayner told him. "He will kill you because he believes you are not of the people."

"The people," Jack responded. "Who are these 'people' you guys keep telling me about?"

"The people who brought the Stargate to our world," Rayner responded. "You are one of them, but you do not have the powers they possess." He went over to the brogon and picked it up, watching the pendulum swing back and forth, before turning to Jack to say, "This brogon has not moved for many, many years. Yet, it started to move a few days ago. We knew then that some of the people had returned."

"What made you think it was me making that thing move?" Jack just had to ask. "I came through with three other people. Why not one of them?"

"You were drawn to the water," Rayner responded, as he set the brogon back down on the table. "Leata tells me that she knew the moment she saw you. She could feel it."

"Feel it," Jack repeated, not quite sure what that meant. He remembered, though, the feeling of being drawn to the water, of needing to get into that boat. "I have to tell you that I am just like the others I came with… well, except maybe for Teal'c… but, my other two companions are human, just like I am. They are of the people, as well."

Rayner just shook his head. "Leata would have known it," he insisted. "She is a…," he stopped for a second, looking for the word he needed, then continued, "I do not know your word for it. May I look for it?" he asked, as he reached for Jack's head.

"No!" Jack growled, pulling back from the man. "Stay back."

Rayner frowned, but didn't push it. He backed up to give Jack some space, then said, "She is a prand. She is one of the leaders of our people because she has the powers and ability to communicate with others."

"Something like an elder," Jack said, almost to himself. Rayner smiled at that, nodding his head as he added a new word to his expanding vocabulary. "Does that mean that you are a prand, as well?" Jack asked, still trying to determine if this guy was friend or foe.

"Yes," Rayner responded. "It is my hope that my child will be an elder when it is born."

That just sounded too weird for Jack. "He… or she would have to grow up first," Jack mused out loud.

"The ability to communicate with others is passed down from parent to child, but not all of my children will have this ability. This sometimes causes…" He stopped as he stared at Jack, with the exact same look Leata had whenever she didn't know what word to use. "Problems," he said, apparently deciding on that one. The way it was said, Jack couldn't help but wonder if that was an understatement. But he didn't get a chance to find out one way or the other. Three men came bursting into the room, and Jack tensed up when he realized the leader of this little party was the same one who had sadistically stuck his fingers into his leg wound. This guy was looking for trouble; Jack could see it in his whole demeanor.

Rayner had already rounded on the men and was talking to them in his native language. He was using a considerable amount of words when talking to his own people, which told Jack that the man was able to produce intelligible sentences, after all. He just didn't know enough English words to communicate as well with Jack as he was with the three men. Jack watched as Rayner and the leader of the trio got louder and louder, while the two men at the door moved into the room, apparently ready and willing to help in case of an all out battle. Jack watched with interest, wondering whose side the two guards were on.

The leader jabbed a finger into Rayner's chest, causing him to stumble and both guards stepped in between them in an obvious attempt to protect Rayner. They were glaring at the three men, who gave up then and walked out, but not before the leader snarled something at Rayner.

Rayner nodded at the guards, who went back to their posts. He then turned to Jack and stared at him gravely. Jack stared back, a little stunned at the drama that had just played out. Stunned and worried, but above all, he was about to burst with curiosity.

"What was that all about?"

"That was Mordan. He says that you are not of the people and that you are evil. He says that you must die."


End file.
